Attendees enjoying dinner. Main course from Bob's Texas T-Bone. Sides donated by Spooky's Pizza, Boda's Kitchen, Safeway of The Dalles. Desserts prepared by Mandie Pitt.
Youth Empowerment Shelter’s Annual Fall Soiree and Fundraiser, Hope Starts Here, raises funds, awareness, and hope for young people experiencing homelessness in the Gorge
THE DALLES — A sold-out crowd gathered at The Dalles Civic Auditorium recently to attend Hope Starts Here, an annual event and fundraiser to support the work of Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES), a local organization that helps youth and young people ages 10-24 who are experiencing crisis or homelessness.
“Here in Oregon, there are 1315 unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness on any given night,” said Executive Director Livia Christensen. “That is a staggering number of young people out there on their own in addition to many other situations that lead to families in crisis and a need for our services. When kids are on this path at 15 or 16 years old there are a lot of barriers that are hard to overcome without some help. There can be many layers of missed opportunities, trauma, and sometimes just not knowing what to do. A place like YES can reach out a hand and offer some guidance in a critical moment when many of these kids feel alone and unseen.”
Headline event sponsors and Business Partner of the Year, Bill and Jodi Ketchum from Crestline Construction.
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YES offers emergency shelter and support to youth and young adults in crisis. Located right here in The Dalles and serving the entire Gorge region, YES provides a safe and stable environment for youth to regroup, heal, and reconnect with caring adults through two main programs — the YES House and the Transition House. The Transition House offers low-cost housing, life skills instruction, support, and advocacy to individuals 17-24 years old that are experiencing housing instability. YES also operates a number of projects that help build skills, connect youth to their community and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Attendees arriving at The Dalles Civic Auditorium for YES third Annual Fall Soiree, Hope Starts Here.
Contributed photo
This is the third year that YES hosted their annual fall fundraiser on the second Thursday in October. “The event is meaningful because not only do we hope to raise critical funds that help us keep the lights on and beds available, but we get to see the faces of our friends, neighbors, and community members that care about this cause too,” said Mary Gabriel, YES associate director. “It really helps to know that there are more people out there seeing this and recognizing how important it is to step up for kids and families who are struggling. Donations and support from our local community are critical for keeping us in operation and we really need to widen our circle of individual donors in order to keep up with the demand we are seeing for services.”
Attendees enjoying dinner. Main course from Bob's Texas T-Bone. Sides donated by Spooky's Pizza, Boda's Kitchen, Safeway of The Dalles. Desserts prepared by Mandie Pitt.
Contributed photo
This year, the event was sponsored by Crestline Construction, NW Natural, and Dean Dollarhide with State Farm Insurance. A number of small businesses and individuals from around the gorge contributed to the silent auction and amazing BBQ dinner catered by Bob’s Texas T-Bone. Matthew McCravey donated his time to provide music for the event. “We can do more when we do it together,” said Christensen. “We had so many wonderful people show up for us including some former program participants who are doing really well and are invested in keeping these programs in operation for other young people who need them.”
According to the 2023 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Estimates published by PSU Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative18% of people experiencing homelessness in Hood River and Wasco Counties are under the age of 25. Youth Empowerment Shelter is the only provider of shelter services specifically for homeless youth in our region. For more information or to support this cause, please visit our website at www.yeshelter.org.
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